Fabric take-up for textile machines



Feb. 9, 1960 G. E. CLENTIMACK FABRIC TAKE-UP FOR TEXTILE MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. Gsoaea [.CLENTIMACK BY W7 KM;

A TTORNEY Filed Feb. 7, 1957 Feb. 9, 1960 G. E. CLENTIMACK 2,924,034

FABRIC TAKE-UP FOR TEXTILE MACHINES Filed Feb. 7, 1957 2 SheetsSheet 2 fzg \x 9 A LAT *ZISB 80 59 60 62 64 \1\ w g 66 37 v INVENTOR. GEORGE E. CLENTIMACK A T TORNE Y FABRIC TAKE-UP FOR TEXTILE MACHINES George E. Cientimack, North Attleboro, Mass., assignor to Draper Corporation, Hopedale, Mass., a corporation of Maine Application February 7, 1957, Serial No. 638,706

8 Claims. (Cl. 66-149) This invention relates to take-up mechanisms for textile machines, and more particularly, to take-up devices in which the fabric is drawn or taken up under a condition of constant tension.

It is a general object of the invention to devise a take-up means for use in all types of textile fabric producing machines such, for example, as looms or knitting machines, which means shall function to draw the fabric under uniform conditions of tension thereby to contribute to the production of fabric of better quality.

A more specific object of the invention is that of devising a take-up means in which the action is not subject to the characteristic tightening and relaxing of tension as is so often experienced with conventional means heretofore employed.

A further object of the invention is that of taking up fabric in such manner as to maintain its width more uniformly and to prevent undesired contraction which frequently is experienced with take-ups in which the tension on the material is periodically relaxed.

Another object is that of providing a take-up driving means which shall function to correct the speed at which fabric is drawn by or through a means for varying the speed of take-up drive in response to tension conditions in the fabric and under the influence of'a resistive load.

It is a further object to provide means of the type described wherein speed variation is governed by a spring or other resistive load functioning to balance a displaceable member in a reduction gear train to provide for compensating the increase in take-up roll size with a linear response.

A further object is that of accomplishing the above mentioned objects with novel speed reduction means and control therefor which functions through a frictionall driven differential. I

Other objects will become apparent from the following more detailed disclosure.

2,924,084 i atented Feb. 9, 1960 ice . cludes a worm and gear reduction the worm of which Take-up means for looms, knitting machines and other fabric producing machines function on various principles and with varying degrees of perfection, but it is well known that faulty take-up action does contribute in no small way to certain fabric imperfections, e.g., stop or set marks, shade marks, lack of width uniformity, or lack of maximum width for a fabric produced under a given set of conditions.

According to the invention, a take-up means, either functioning through a sand roll or the like adapted to pull fabric after which it is wound on a cloth roll, or to drive a roll by which fabric is drawn and on which it is wound as well, is positively rotated by a means incors porating a variable speed drive means under control of a movable resistive load responsive to fabric tension.

is displaced under load against the resistance of a spring the force of which may be suitably adjusted. This control automatically corrects for more or less instantaneous tendencies of the drive to fluctuate or for fabric tension to vary; also, if used to rotate a cloth roll on which fabric is wound, it constantly varies the speed ratio of the drive from start to finish of the winding of a roll of material. These two functions are, of course, carried out simultaneously.

The invention will be described in detail by reference to one particular embodiment thereof given by way of illustration and by reference to the accompanying figures of drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view of a part of a warp knitting machine to which the invention has been applied.

Fig. 2 is a similar showing of an application to a loom.

Fig. 3 is a front view of a part of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a top sectional view of the invention.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the mechanism with the casing cover removed.

Now referring to Fig. 1, part of a warp knitting machine is illustrated, and includes a frame member 10, needle and knockover assemblies 11 and 12, feeders 13 and 14, and tension bars 15 and 16 over which the warp threads are passed as lead to the feeders. Several shafts run lengthwise of the machine one .such at 17 being a main camshaft and employed here to drive the fabric take-up means.

Fabric formed by interaction of the feeders, needles and knockover bits is lead toward the front of the machine to be passed over a take-up roll 18 by which it is drawn and advanced to a wind-up roller in one instance, or alternately, may merely be trained over a roll like that at 18, but freely rotatable, and then drawn by winding on a wind-up roller. In either instance the take-up unit generally indicated by numeral 19, is driven from'the output side -of that unit.

Here, for example, the unit is mounted by suitable connections to the machine frame and is driven by a chain 20 passing over a sprocket 21 fixed at the tend of shaft 17 and another sprocket 22 at the input shaft 23 of the unit. Power is taken from the output side of the unit from sprocket 24 by chain 25 to a second sprocket 26 on a shaft rotatable with the take-up roll 18.

In Fig. 2, a similar unit 27 is shown mounted on a loomside 28 of a loom, only a part of the upper, front part thereof being illustrated. Here again the input side of the unit is driven from any convenient member of the loom such as the main camshaft, by a chain 29. A takeup or sand roll 30 is in connection to the output side of 'the unit through a gear train including a pinion 31, gear- 32, pinion 33, gear 34, and finally the gear 35 on the same shaft as the sand roll, I

As an alternative, the output side of the unit 27 may be connected directly, or more preferably, by reduction gearing of any suitable sort to a take-up roll which may function to pull the cloth directly from the fabric form-v ing instrumentalities in either a knitting machine are loom. In such event, the mounting of the parts andthe reduction gearing is so devised as to accommodate the speeds required, that is, to function efiectively and efl'1- ciently from empty to a full roll.

These figures have been employed mainly to show the type of machine and typical situations to which the invention applies.

Now referring to Figs. 4 and 5, the entire unit is mounted within a casing 36 enclosed by a cover 37 and having an input unit which comprises a shaft 38 rotatable within antifriction or other bearings 39 and 40 suitably mounted in a hub-like extension 41 having a flange 42 by which it is bolted to a suitably machined part of the casing. The shaft enters through an opening centrally of the flange mounting and has slidably fixed at its inner end a friction disk 43 rotated and slidable within splines or other means adapted for the purpose and pressed inwardly by a spring 44 which as herein shown, comprises a compression type coil spring, but which may take other forms in certain instances. Certain of the bearings upon which this shaft is rotatable take considerable thrust as Well as radial load and therefore the shaft having ample shoulders machined thereon is prevented from moving axially under the stresses imparted to it by the spring.

The output side of the unit is housed within the casing 36 and an extending casing part 45 bolted to the first mentioned part and having therein suitable bearings for a shaft 46 driven through reduction gears 47 fixed to the shaft and asmaller gear 48 rotatable on a stud 49 held within the casing 36 by means of its threaded end 50 and a nut 51, this stud further serving to support an extending hub 52 and a worm gear 53.. In other words, the smaller gear 48, hub 52 and the worm gear 53 comprise a unit although it is not intended that they be machined as a single part since it is much simpler to florm the hub on one gear and to key the other to that The worm gear is rotated by a worm 54 rotatable with a shaft 55 which is mounted in a suitable bearing 56 at one end, this hearing being of roller type and carried within the casing 36 and having a cap 57 by which the casing is closed oif thereby to render it oil tight and yet to provide for a certain amount of axial movement of the shaft 55 and the worm, reasons for which will be explained in due course.

The other end of the shaft is carried within-a similar bearing 58 held within an end 59 of a sleeve 60 attached and centered within that particular end of casing 36. The bearing 58 likewise provides for axial movement of the shaft which is urged toward the left in these figures by means of a resistive load which may comprise a spring 61 housed Within the sleeve 60 and bearing against an adjustable flanged member 62 threaded onto the threaded end 63 of a short shaft 64 which is in turn carried within antifriction bearing 65 in an end flange 66.

A knurled handwheel 67 is keyed to the end of the shaft 64 and is used to turn that shaft so as to put more or less tension on the spring 61 in order to regulate the torque output of the unit. The flanged member 62 is held against rotation by a pin 68 fixed in the end flange 66 and passing through a slot in the member 62. The handwheel 67 is graduated and marked, Fig. 3, so that in conjunction with a pointer or index 68, the wheel may be rotated to different settings and returned to any particular setting as desired.

The spring 61 bears at its inner end against a shouldered cup 69 rotatable on a bearing '70 which is in turn held against a reduced, shouldered end of the shaft 55. Thus the force of the spring is conveyed to. the shaft to bias it axially against the load at the worm and gear teeth so that as the load increases, spring 61 is compressed and vice versa.

The speed change part of the mechanism or that part which varies the output speed as compared to that of the input side comprises a differential mechanism of the bevel gear type in which are to be found two differential gears 71 and 72 which are freely rotatable on the shaft 55, but are prevented by certain collars, shoulders, and the like from moving axially thereon; The bevel pinions 73 and 74 are in mesh with the gears 71 and 72 each pinion being rotatable on a short stud or spindle 75 and 76, as the case may be, these studs being threaded into a centrally disposed hub 77 which is keyed as at 78, or held in any other satisfactory manner on the shaft so that as the hub rotates, the shaft must be driven by it. The gears 71 and 72 also have fixed for rotation therewith disks 79 and 3t) which are frictionally driven by disk 43 so that these disks last mentioned and the gears 71 and 72 are continuously rotated when input shaft 38 is rotated, but in reverse directions.

The position of the disks 79 and 80 radially of disk 43 is governed by the position of shaft 55 as influenced through the load at the worm 54 and the tension in spring 61, and as these parts are moved so that the effective radius at which the disks are driven varies, the differential between the speeds of the disks varies from a maximum as the parts are shown in Fig. 4 to Zero in a situation in which they are equally distant radially from the center of the disk 43. Likewise, the pinions 73 and 74 and hub 77 will be bodily moved in the same direction as the faster moving disk 79 and gear 71, and in the event the disks are in the radially equal or neutral position, the hub will be stationary so that there is no efiective drive at all.

The ratios are such that when in the position of Fig. 4, the speed of drive through to the wind-up or take-up roll as the case may be will be a maximum for the greatest speed of take up required in the particular machine to which the device is applied. If fabric is being taken up and wound on a core to which this device is either directly or indirectly attached, that condition applies at the start of'winding. As the roll builds up and increases in diameter, the angular speed should be decreased so that the disks should move to a position in which the difference between their radial distances from the center of disk 43 becomes less. That is accomplished since the load on the worm 54 increases as the roll of fabric or other material builds up.

For any instantaneous condition, the device maintains a constant tension in the fabric being drawn and if there is a momentary tendency towards increased or decreased tension from the required value, the parts move either to right or left as the case may be to increase or decrease the speed of wind up so as to maintain reasonably constant the tension value. The tension in spring 61 is initially set by rotating the handwheel 67 and for the actual difierence in core diameter from start to finish of the average roll of fabric taken up in a knitting machine or loom, this spring will function very satisfactorily giving very close to a linear response in the device so that the tension in the fabric at the full roll condition will be substantially the same as that at the start and at intermediate points.

The resistive load applied to the worm shaft is preferably a spring more or less as shown here, but it is to be understood that other mechanisms may be employed, for example, a weight or weights or any other means by which resistance may be applied and for which the response in the mechanism may be maintained more or less linear as desired.

While one embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, it is to be understood that the inventive concept may be carried out in a number of Ways. This invention is, therefore, not to be limited to the precise details described, but is intended to embrace all variations and modifications thereof falling within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. In a textile machine having cooperating devices for combining threads to form a fabric, a means to take up said fabric under substantially uniform tension co11 ditions which comprises a variable speed driving means having a member positively driven at a uniform speed at a power input side, a power output means including reduction gearing at least one member of which is displaceable under load and a resistive means acting to bias said member in a direction against its displacement under load, said variable speed driving means including a bevel gear differential the output speed ratio of which is varied in accordance with the position of said displaceable memher.

2. In a textile machine having cooperating devices for combining threads to form a fabric, a means to take up said fabric under substantially uniform tension conditions which comprises a variable speed driving means having a member positively driven at a uniform speed at a power input side, a power output means including reduction gearing at least one member of which is displaceable under load and a resistive means acting to bias said member in a direction against its displacement under load, said variable speed driving means including a bevel gear differential driven by said input means through friction means coupled to said differential, the output speed ratio of which is varied in accordance with the position of said displaceable member.

3. In a textile machine having cooperating devices for combining threads to form a fabric, a means to take up said fabric under substantially uniform tension conditions which comprises a variable speed driving means having a member positively driven at a uniform speed at a power input side, a power output means including reduction gearing at least one member of which is displaceable under load and a resistive means acting to bias said member in a direction against its displacement under load, said variable speed driving means including a differential, three friction disks, one disk being driven by said input means and the remaining two being interconnected to gears of the differential and being frictionally driven by the first, but in opposite directions, and means responsive to displacement of said power output means for varying the position of said difi'erential and its disks to affect their speed of rotation by changing the elfective driving radii of the first disk.

4. In a textile machine having cooperating devices for combining threads to form a fabric, a means to take up said fabric under substantially uniform tension conditions which comprises input drive means, output drive means including reduction gearing, one member of said reduction gearing being displaceable under load and a resistive load means for biasing said member against displacement under that load, a variable speed means for transmitting torque from the input to the output means including a differential and friction disks, said differential and disks being interconnected for movement by said displaceable member to vary the effective drive ratio of certain of the disks and the output speed from the differential as compared to the input speed thereto.

5. In a textile machine having cooperating devices for combining threads to form a fabric, a means to take up said fabric under substantially uniform tension conditions which comprises input drive means, and output drive including a worm and worm wheel, said worm being mounted for displacement axially under load, a re sistive load biasing said worm and its mounting against such displacement, a variable speed means for transmitting torque from the input side to said worm which comprises a disk driven by said input means, two disks driven by the first and mounted for axial movement with said worm and in a manner to change their point of contact radially of the first disk, a dilferential gear driven by each of the second mentioned disks and at least one differential pinion driven from said gears and a driving connection between said pinion and worm so that the latter is rotated at a speed dependent upon the output of said differential.

6. In a textile machine having cooperating devices for combining threads to form a fabric, a means to take up said fabric under substantially uniform tension conditions which comprises input drive means, output drive means including a worm and worm wheel, a shaft on which said worm is fixed and bearings in which said shaft is restrained radially and movable axially, spring means for biasing said shaft and worm against the reaction from its driving thrust, a disk driven by said input means, opposed bevel, differential gears freely rotatable on said worm shaft but axially fixed thereon, a hub keyed to said shaft between said gears and a differential pinion carried by said hub and meshing with said gears, means to drive said gears in opposed directions which comprises disks frictionally engaged by said input disk, said last mentioned disks being in pressure contact with the input disk at opposite sides of its center.

7. Mechanism as defined in claim 6 wherein said disk at the input side is splined to an input drive shaft and spring pressed toward said driven disks.

8. Mechanism as defined in claim 6 wherein means is provided for adjusting the tension in said spring for biasing the worm shaft.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 532,312 Chambers Jan. 8, 1895 587,714 Dutton Aug. 10, 1897 2,621,500 Clentimack Dec. 16, 1952 

